Yes, we know Christmas was two months ago and the time for anything peppermint flavored has long passed, but has it? Not for some. Although this flavor combination is associated with the holidays, we can … and have … been enjoying it in sweets all year long.
Girl Scout cookie sales are in full swing now and the highest-selling Girl Scout cookie is Thin Mints. After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins – aka After Eights, introduced in 1962, are popular candies that were associated with good taste, luxurious living, and a leisurely way of life. So, it’s only natural that chocolate and mint treats are enjoyed year-round.
There is even a day celebrating chocolate and mint. On February 19th we are celebrating National Chocolate Mint Day. Recognized by the US National Confectioners Association, National Chocolate Mint Day is observed annually across the nation. This holiday has been set aside for all the chocolate mint lovers to eat their favorite treats all day long.
A Primer on Mint
According to Wikipedia, Mentha (also known as mint, from Greek μίνθα míntha, Linear Bmi-ta) is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae (mint family). The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs naturally where some species’ ranges overlap. Many hybrids and cultivars are known.
Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial herbs. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow.
The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem. The leaves have a warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste, and are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.
Creating a dessert with chocolate and mint offers endless possibilities due to their versatile combinations. Whether it’s milk, dark, or white chocolate, mint, usually peppermint, serves as the ideal complement.
To celebrate the day we are featuring a Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake recipe from the 2015 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA Bronze Medal winner, Chef Scott Green. According to Scott, this recipe, with a few tweaks, “will be a pound cake recipe that comes from a very good friend of mine and an amazing chef, Donald Wressell.”
Chef Wressell was also a part of Club Coupe du Monde Team USA. He was a team member in 1993, 1995 (Bronze Medal), and 2005 (Bronze Medal). In addition, he was a coach for the 1999 (Bronze Medal), 2001 (Gold Medal), 2003, and 2015 (Bronze Medal) teams.
The following are some notes on the recipe from Scott:
I chop my chocolate to add to this recipe because I pretty much always do. I like all the little pieces and the way the chocolate dust melds into the batter. If you’d like to add chips, go right ahead! I’ve also chosen a dark chocolate combination because I think the bitterness pairs nicely with the richness of the pound cake and sweetness of the glaze, but again any percentage you’d like to use is fair game.
The ganache we’re making today will be formulated specifically to glaze the tops of the bundt cakes with. If you’d rather use milk or dark chocolate you can, but you’ll have to adjust the amount of liquid as well to maintain the same overall viscosity.
The baking time I specify for the pound cake is based on the relatively small cavity size of my baking molds. A full-size bundt pan will likely take quite a bit longer to bake and may need tin foil placed over the top after the halfway point of baking to prevent the exposed cake from burning while it bakes.
Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
Yield: 6 mini bundt cakes
Chocolate Pound Cake
- 128g butter unsalted (We used Plugra)
- 350g sugar
- 175g All-purpose flour (We used King Arthur Flour)
- 186g whole eggs
- 137g buttermilk
- 40g cocoa (We used Valrhona)
- 3g salt
- 2g baking powder
- 5g vanilla extract
- 40g coffee brewed
- 35g Valrhona Millot chocolate 74% (Scott used a 72% chocolate)
- 35g Valrhona Komuntu chocolate 80% (Scott used a 85% chocolate)
- 6g Nielsen-Massey peppermint extract
White Chocolate Ganache
- 60g whole milk
- 20g sweetened condensed milk
- 20g butter unsalted (We used Plugra)
- 230g Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate 35%
Decorations
- Peppermint hard candies or
- Color jimmies (sprinkles) or
- Any decoration of your choice
Instructions
Generously butter a 6-portion mini bundt pan. Set aside.
Bring the butter, whole eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature before beginning. Brew the coffee and reserve. Combine and chop both chocolates and reserve.
Combine the butter, salt and sugar and sand them in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Switch to a whip attachment and add the whole eggs to the butter mixture, whisking until emulsified.
Combine and sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and add half of it to the batter.
Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, then add the buttermilk, vanilla extract, coffee and peppermint oil.
Add the remaining dry ingredients.
Add the chopped chocolate and fold it into the batter by hand.
Cast the batter into your baking mold 3/4-4/5 full.
Bake: 188C/370F for 30 minutes, rotating the pan in the middle of baking.
White Chocolate Ganache
Combine the whole milk and sweetened condensed milk and bring to a boil.
Pour the hot milk over the white chocolate, and give a little shake to the bowl to allow the chocolate to settle. Place the butter on top and let everything sit for 2-3minutes.
Whisk or hand blend the mixture until the ganache is glossy and emulsified.
Assembling the Cakes
Crush up peppermint candies and reserve.
Remove the bundt cake from the baking pan and freeze.
Place the bundt cake on a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap and a glazing rack.
Transfer the white chocolate ganache to a piping bag if desired and glaze the tops of the bundt cakes, coating the inner ring of each cake.
Let the ganache set for 2-3min.
Sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top.
